David Stremme to make Swan Racing debut at Phoenix

The Associated Press

Updated:
02/28/2013 01:28:34 PM MST

AVONDALE, Ariz.—David Stremme will make his season debut this weekend at Phoenix after giving up his seat in the Daytona 500 to Michael Waltrip.

Stremme is the fulltime driver of Swan Racing's No. 30 Toyota. Swan Racing dedicated its efforts last week to raising donations and awareness for the Sandy Hook Memorial Fund with Waltrip running a special No. 26 in honor of the students and teachers lost in the December school shooting.

Stremme is eager to get in his car, which is now owned by Brandon Davis, who has made a commitment to race all year. Previous ownership forced Stremme to "start-and-park" the car.

"Swan Racing is here to race hard every lap of every race," Davis said. "We are going to build a championship contender over time and we'll do it by competing against the best drivers in the world, not by packing up early."

Davis had a busy offseason of hiring new personnel, including competition director Steve Hmiel, crew chief Tony Eury Jr. and spotter Rocky Ryan. Swan Racing also attracted some sponsorship from Nutrition53, a health supplement company owned by former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski, who purchased a minority stake in the team.

"It's a new day for the No. 30 Toyota and we'll be mixing it up all season," Stremme said. "Drivers are competitive by nature. We feel the need to compete in everything we do. I will get the most out of this Toyota all season starting at Phoenix International Raceway.

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"This is old school racing here at Swan. We all pitch in to build the cars at the shop each week and race hard on the weekends."

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